23. Aftermath

ASHER

Quinn was pissed.

I could feel the dormant anger swirling within her the entire time Sol tended to the wounds I'd obtained during the match. While it did sting, my pride was intact and that made the whole goddamn thing worth it. I kept my eyes trained ahead until the final one had been cleaned out, opting just to let the damn things breathe instead of accepting bandages on my face.

Sol snapped the first aid kit shut, the edges of his lips twitching. "She's a fiery one, kid. I would start sucking up now if you want her to forgive you by the time the Council member arrives. You wouldn't want to snuff out that light before this relationship really goes somewhere."

Blowing out a slow breath, I snuck a quick peek in her direction. It wasn't a surprise to find that jaw raised up with defiance painting her face while her lips were pressed together. There was no doubt in my mind that she was borderline livid. It did leave me with a surge of regret. I'd brought her to Sol's business tonight to help her see another part of my world ─ one that every demon enjoyed dangling in front of the other races.

It wasn't difficult to see that I had lost control over the evening when Antonio had chosen to call me out in front of a chunk of our kind. Granted, I couldn't let myself look like a coward by refusing to fight the bastard. Taking him on had certainly ensured that I did have the balls and the strength to hold my own. That didn't mean it was how Quinn saw it.

"Acknowledge the error of your ways…and then ravish her." Sol offered a quick wink before he tucked the kit under his armpit. "Get your ass in the shower, kid. I'll have one of my staff bring you a fresh suit. We're burning that one."

"Thanks."

Sol gestured at Quinn with a nudge of his head, lipping, "Start sucking up, boy" before he left the locker room.

I stared at him as he made a rapid retreat, the metal door swinging shut after him. Does he not realize who I am? The fucker might as well be speaking Latin. Sucking up was not in my personality. It was literally not anywhere in the book for me. If he had attempted to tell me the same goddamn thing for another woman, I wouldn't have hesitated to remind him of his place.

Still. It wasn't a random pussy that he was referring to. Quinn wasn't just any woman. That much had become clear during our time together. This had gone from buying a pet for an occasional fuck to an ancient bond sealing us together. Which literally threw out everything I knew. It also emphasized what Sol had already repeated under his breath.

Her rage wasn't going to be tamed by absolute silence. Letting her simmer in it would only give it more strength and I had yet to see this woman overwhelmed by rage. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that she would match my own temper ─ if not surpassing it entirely.

I drew in a deep breath, trapping the air in my lungs until the organ started to ache with protest. I didn't allow it to escape until I shifted along the bench and eased back onto my feet. The room tilting around me certainly left me with no choice but to pause until it settled. Combined with one hell of a headache, there was no doubt in my mind that Antonio had managed to dish out a decent amount of damage. Concussion it is, then.

Those beautiful gray eyes didn't flicker in my direction, not even when I managed to shrink down the distance between us until I was hovering above her. My pet simply continued staring at the open shower stalls while the muscles in her jaw occasionally flexed.

"Quinn." I reached down to catch her by the chin. Every part of me expected to be able to turn her head easily, like all the times that I had in the past. When she refused to budge, I stilled. I had underestimated the anger flowing through those veins. It wasn't until I brushed my magic against her aura that I realized it had gone a lot deeper than I originally realized.

"Was that really necessary?" Her voice was quiet.

Never in my life had I ever been put in this position ─ at least, not where it threatened to slice all the way into the depths of my soul. My rage toward Antonio had simmered long ago, leaving absolutely nothing to stop the guilt tearing through me. Now that I was being forced to look back at the situation, I realized that caving to the bastard's demand had been reckless. I'd gone into that ring with the assumption that I was still the same man when I wasn't.

I had someone to fight for now, to protect.

I didn't attempt to turn her head, settling for grazing my fingers along her cheek. It didn't occur to me just how deep these emotions ran for her until those eyes fluttered shut and a single tear escaped down her cheek. Damn it. I'd definitely fucked up. Tangling my fingers in her hair, I simply closed the distance between us and allowed her head to fall against my abdomen. "I apologize for putting you through this, Quinn. That wasn't my intention."

At first, she didn't do more than rest her weight against me. "I…I'm trying to get used to this world that you've grown up in, Asher. It's so easy for you to go and do all these things because you've done them all your life. But for me? I was kept in a fucking dog crate downstairs in a basement for a good chunk of my life. I've been starved and treated as a waste of space. I certainly didn't think things would improve when you bought me."

My grip tightened, yet my pet didn't flinch. She simply sniffled and gods, how my soul wanted to shatter into a million pieces. The only times I had come close to this was when my father informed me of my mother's passing ─and when I'd found that boy in the closet at the hotel. This wasn't a feeling that I enjoyed enduring.

Which only made me wonder just how much worse it was coming from within my pet herself.

Quinn finally raised a hand, digging her fingers into my waist. "I don't mind you introducing me to things like this… Especially when it's simply a part of your world. But don't fucking ask me to depend on you and then put yourself at risk like that. What if something had happened to you during that fight? How am I supposed to protect you against someone with so much rage? Where would that leave me if he managed to kill you?"

The final words that left her mouth left my body completely void of all warmth. I immediately lowered onto one knee, despite all the ways my body protested the movement. There wasn't a single word I could utter as I drew her into my arms, bringing her head just beneath my chin. As her body shook with the overwhelming urge to sob, all I could do was hold her close.

There wasn't a doubt in my mind that I needed to change the way I approached things. Simply answering a challenge like Antonio's just to appease the endless rage that haunted the two of us couldn't be my reality any longer. I wasn't moving through this life by myself anymore. I had someone who depended on me to show her the way of the demonic world and I certainly couldn't do that dead.

"One day, you'll find someone to open up your heart to, Asher." My mother's voice leaked out of the darkness, where it had been suppressed and buried for so long. It was surreal to hear her voice echoing across those memories. "When you find someone worthy, protect them with every fiber of your being. Change yourself for them."

I shifted my head, pressing my lips against her hair. It was time to stop seeing only what I wanted from this bond. While Quinn was the ideal soul to stand by my side when I took over the family empire, she was also someone that needed to be treasured. Protected with every goddamn fiber of my being.

The kiss simply unleashed the dam she was trying to hold back. It was almost as if she knew what thoughts were running through my mind.

My pet didn't need to change. I did.

Although my body was protesting in agony with every passing second that I remained down on my knees, I didn't budge an inch. I kept my arms wrapped tightly around her with my lips against her head until those sobs finally ceased. The shaking continued for several more long minutes until she eventually sagged against me. "I am so sorry for putting you through that, Quinn… It will never happen again."

"D-Don't make a promise that y-you can't keep."

I pulled back just enough to where those red-rimmed eyes had no choice but to rise up to me. "It will never happen again," I swore. When those lips parted to emphasize her point, I was quick to rest a finger against them. "I acknowledge that I need to change my ways, pet. I'm not walking through this life alone any longer. You are my mate and our bond is to be treasured. For as long as I breathe, I will protect you however I must. If that includes rejecting a challenge like Antonio's, then I will. The childish rage we both carry does not matter more than you."

My pet stared at me for several long minutes, not attempting to break the silence that leaked into the air. She finally drew in a deep breath and nodded slowly.

She was forgiving me, but it didn't come without a request. Don't do this to me again.

I reached out to gently seize her chin. "Join me in the shower, pet?"

Those stunning gray eyes stared at me while my words processed through all the chaos that her emotions had left behind. There was a part of me that feared she would reject the gentle request and simply cave into her own pain. Yet those lips finally curled into a small smile. "Only if you explain to me what happened between you and Antonio."

This woman is going to be the death of me.Groaning softly, I shifted one hand so that I could rest my weight against the bench as I fought to rise off the ground. Every single muscle within my body ached, which made it far more difficult than it should've been. It took everything I had not to acknowledge the pained expression haunting my pet's face until I was finally back on my feet.

Quinn didn't budge an inch, those piercing eyes still locked on me. "I'm not moving until you start talking, Asher." she warned.

"Start sucking up, boy." My uncle's advice circled in my mind.

A weary sigh escaped me. I could already sense that my pet was going to ask a great deal of me before she would finally let tonight go. "Remember when I informed you that it was a crime to inflict violence upon a demon lord?"

"As well as those working beneath them, yes."

Looks like Sol was trying to explain things for me.Or at least pave a path so I could fumble my way along.

I nodded slowly. "With Antonio… It was a mixture of things. He had a younger brother that worked for Nico and he happened to…become hooked on the same woman as him. It became a dangerous game they played."

My pet's expression grew guarded as I talked.

Gritting my teeth, I pulled away from her. Every part of my body was becoming antsy — no doubt a feeling she endured quite often from how frazzled her energy would become. Still, I wasn't used to it and I certainly didn't enjoy the experience. I flexed my jaw to help work out the tension. "Antonio's brother…Gavin…was under the impression that he'd won the fair lady over until he walked into her hotel room and found her in bed with Nico. From what I hear, Gavin lost it. He tried to strike Nico down."

And failed miserably.

It was one thing to bear the strength of an enraged demon, but a demon lord was on another level. The kid never stood a chance.

"So… Antonio hates you because…"

"I carried out the punishment required for Gavin turning against his demon lord." I drifted toward the showers, leaning against one of the tiled half walls so that I could reach in and twist the knob. "Nico was willing to let it slide as long as Gavin publicly admitted he was no longer under Nico's protection. Which was essentially a death sentence itself."

Quinn was quiet for a moment. "But I…I don't understand. It would make more sense for Antonio to go after Nico than you."

I turned my head slightly so that our gazes locked once again. "By demon law, Nico was supposed to be the one to handle it. Because he was willing to let it go, it called for his death. My father wanted blood, pet, even if it meant that it came from someone who had protected me since we were young. I refused to let him take the fall." I grimaced and severed eye contact.

I could still see the lifeless body lying at my feet. My arrival at the boy's home certainly hadn't been planned, nor had I anticipated that the gunshot would raise an alarm from Antonio ─ who just happened to be in the garage, attempting to fix their father's classic Camaro.

The poor bastard didn't even seem to realize I was there, simply gunning for his brother's body. I didn't even know what had happened after I left the house. A part of me had accepted the belief that Antonio had taken his own life since there was no one left. No reason to walk the earth when that trek would be alone.

I didn't realize Quinn had finally moved from the bench until her hands grazed against my arm. Although I jolted, she simply started working on unbuttoning my stained shirt. She watched the material slide down until the final button was pulled free. As it fell to the floor, she ran her hands down my bruised chest. "So tonight was about…revenge?"

"In a sense." My voice softened to a simple murmur. There was absolutely no attempt to move on my part as she continued to work on getting the clothing off my body. A painful sensation caused throughout my body as my cock hardened immediately, yearning for her touch. It was something I couldn't ask of her after what I'd put her through tonight. "Although I get the impression that won't be the last of him since he couldn't quite succeed with exposing me as weak."

"Will he come for you again?" My pet nibbled on her lower lip with so much force that she ended up causing a shallow wound. She cringed as the blood droplet escaped down her chin.

I immediately reached up, stopping it with my thumb. "Perhaps. I can protect myself, pet. It is your safety I am more concerned about. I did promise you not to allow any further recklessness on my part and I meant it. No more."

Her gray eyes rose until they locked with mine. There was no way that I could miss that surge of relief that I had heard her desperate plea, loud and clear.

As those lips curled into a small smile, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against hers. I had absolutely no protest as the sudden force prompted her to back up until a partial wall blocked her path. With my body firmly against hers, I continued lavishing those fair lips while I worked on getting her own clothes off. There wasn't a part of me that could be content until her soft skin was against mine.

Quinn sucked in a sharp gasp when I managed to trap her lower lip in between my teeth. All it took was a quick flick of my tongue against the fresh wound for her back to arch and her body to press into me. Her hands had barely settled on my chest before those fingers curled to dig into my skin.

I tucked an arm behind her back, prompting her to move under the hot water. Small goosebumps danced along my skin as soon as the heat brushed over me. "You're still tense," I murmured. Turning my head, I grazed the tips of my fangs along that delicate skin. My cock twitched as she trembled with a moan. When her hand started reaching, I was quick to catch it. "No, pet. I want to remind you of the queen that you are. You owe me nothing."

A soft whine escaped her. "B-But…"

The edges of my lips twitched. I managed to silence her by delivering several nips to her jawline. As she writhed against me, I continued the hot trail down her neck. My fangs grazed against her collarbone as I ventured further south. Despite the waves of water pouring down my body, I knelt and brushed against her marked breast.

Quinn trembled against me. I hadn't even used my teeth on that delicate skin yet and I had already managed to squeeze a lustful reaction out of her body. With my body blocking the brunt of the shower's rays, there was absolutely nothing to prevent me from inhaling a lungful of that delicious aroma in between her legs.

Although my mouth watered with that endless hunger to make her come against my mouth, I resisted the urge. I latched onto her marked breast first, teasing around the nipple with my teeth while I unleashed my tongue to flick against it. My other hand was free to stray all the way down to that pussy that was already soaking for me.

Those fingers quickly found their way to my head, digging into my hair until every single fingernail threatened to pierce my scalp. All it had taken was one brush against her clit with my thumb for the juices to start trailing down her leg. She dug her own back against the wall while she fought to continue a steady airflow. "T-This doesn't mean y-you're forgiven yet," she panted.

I chuckled against her breast, sucking on it for a moment longer before I let it free with a plop. "I didn't expect to be." I exhaled sharply, letting my hot breath stir up a fresh wave of goosebumps while I ventured over toward the other breast. Couldn't leave that one out of all the fun, now could I? A pleased smirk stretched across my face as my little pet trapped me against her.

All while that aroma leaking from her legs grew stronger.

This was certainly not intended to sweep tonight under the rug, not by any means. The only thing I wanted to prove by doing this was I heard her words, felt her anger, and I had no intention of doing anything but change myself until she felt reassured that I wasn't going to abandon her for speaking that mind of hers. So I let her keep me pinned to her skin, eager to pleasure her until she was screaming my name.

My own hunger could wait until she was ready to forgive me.

I slid my hand along her pussy. It was delightful to already find that clit still swollen from our time together in the clothing store. My pet was consumed with her own need, a hunger fit for a prince. I pressed against her clit while I pushed inside with two fingers.

Quinn jerked against me with a gasp, the noise quickly followed by a moan that echoed off the tiled walls. "Fuck, yes," she rasped. "P-Please…"

Releasing her breast, I relaxed my body until my mouth came level with her abdomen. "Tell me what you want from me, pet. You give the order. I am yours to control tonight."

She cracked open an eye, those gray eyes swirling with shock. There was no doubt in my mind that she never anticipated those words ever leaving my mouth. The fact that they had certainly spoke volumes when it came to my eagerness to change for her. It only took a moment for her to collect herself and for those soft lips to curl into a smirk of her own. "I want you to fuck me with those fingers until I come."

I drew in a deep breath, filling my lungs with her scent. "And then?" I continued to thrust my fingers inside her, causing her to writhe against me with a delighted squeal. How curious. My pet enjoyed having the chance to command someone who wasn't meant to be ordered around.

She had so many kinks to uncover and I was eager to discover each one.

All it took was a slight twist to my wrist so that I could graze against the infamous g-spot for those walls to start to tighten around my fingers. Her fingers dug into my scalp until a sharp sting warned she'd pierced the surface. "And t-then I want you to eat me out!" she stammered.

My lips curled into a pleased smirk. My little pet had come such a long way in the days we'd crossed paths. Here we were, several weeks later with her confidence soaring and that inner shine leaking out into the world. Who knew she would grow bold enough to let our roles switch? I was more than willing to obey that command. I latched onto her abdomen, delivering one hell of a suck on the delicate skin while my fingers continued to work her pussy.

Quinn's hips bucked against me. "Fucking hell, Asher!"

I shifted slightly so that I could graze my fangs on the other side of her body. "Yes, my queen?" When her breathing hitched in her throat, I raised my gaze up so that our eyes could lock. Although the heat was still dominant in those piercing eyes, there was no mistaking the shock swirling within it all. I simply allowed my grin to grow before I returned to what I was doing.

It didn't take long for me to start squeezing a mixture of pants and loud moans out of those perfect lips. She could barely keep herself upright, leaving me with the determination to keep her pinned against the wall so she wouldn't crumble. Her hot pussy was already dripping with her juices with those walls threatening to squeeze my fingers until I was forced out.

That didn't mean I would be cast out of that lovely heat so easily. I resisted the rising pressure, sucking on her abdomen while I continued to work every inch of that pussy. I didn't allow it to push me out until I tossed her into the endless abyss of her own pleasure. Even then, I kept the tips inserted while I quickly moved to catch the leaking juices. I ran my tongue along the slick lips, shivering from the unique taste coating my tongue.

My pet whimpered as I latched onto her pussy, forcing my tongue inside to collect the juices that hadn't quite made its way out yet. Her legs shook beneath her as she continued to ride out the orgasm until it finally released her.

I kept her pinned against the tile just enough to prevent her from collapsing. Only when she was safely within range of the floor did I finally pull back and shift her to lie down before me. With a small gesture behind me, the showerhead immediately lowered, aiming for my lower back instead of hitting us both. "I think you gave me an order…" I shifted in between her legs with a low, guttural growl. "...and I intend to complete it."

Quinn couldn't stop the delighted squeal from slipping out of those parted lips when I nudged her legs back to give myself a better angle at her pussy. As soon as my mouth was back on her, fangs and all, she arched her back. "Y-Yes! Asher, yes!"

My initial focus returned to her swollen clit. I trapped it between my lips and added just enough pressure to where my pet was squirming beneath me with a dragged out whine. With one finger inserted back into her pussy, I kept going until those walls started closing in all over again. I didn't replace it with my mouth until the next orgasm hit her so hard that those lips were parted, yet not a single sound could leak into the air.

Her entire lower body was shaking by the time she finished riding out that high and my mouth was covered with her delicious aroma. She couldn't find the strength within herself to move an inch as I finally pulled away and stalked up her body. All she could do was gaze back at me with those exhausted eyes.

Exhausted, but pleased.

I brought our faces close with a wide smirk. "I'm sure they could hear you all the way from the arena, pet. Does that terrify you?"

Quinn rose that defiant jaw with a grin of her own. "Absolutely not. Let them hear me scream your name."

A chuckle rumbled from my chest. I eased back onto my haunches before reaching back to help her upright. It wasn't long until I had her back on her feet. With one arm still on her arm to keep her from crumbling all over again, I reached out to retrieve a bottle of body wash that had been left behind. I poured a small amount into my palm and got to work on scrubbing her clean.

Pure content washed over her face as she leaned back against the tile wall, allowing me to graze my hands over her body. The physical contact was enough to make those nipples harden all over again and she was probably leaking some more of that addicting little juice, but neither of us were willing to break from the comforting touch this provided. The only time she moved was when I prompted her to turn around. As soon as her back was covered, she leaned into me with a soft hum.

I ran my hand along her abdomen, bringing it higher until my fingers curled around her throat. It didn't matter that I wasn't squeezing, the presence of it being right there was enough to make her suck in a sharp breath.

"Will I get fangs? Like you have?"

The question was so out of the blue that it made me blink. It took my mind a little too long to realize just what she'd asked me. "You have them, pet."

She tilted her head slightly, almost as if it was required just to run her tongue along her teeth. Only a few seconds passed before she scoffed and shook her head. "Not like yours. Yours are…longer."

I used that opportunity to brush her wet hair away from her neck and nip along the skin. "You still have a small sliver of humanity within you, pet. That will be erased when I am able to take you during one of the required tasks. Devouring that remaining piece might be all you need for those fangs of yours to grow."

A hiss escaped her with every nip I delivered. "Promise?"

Tightening my hand against her throat, I used the pressure to leave her trembling. "Are you wanting to return the favor and use those fangs on me, pet? Do you feel the desire to leave a trail along my skin just like I have done to you?" I dragged my hand down, letting my nails scrape against her skin.

She shivered against me. "Yes, I do."

"Then have faith that one more time is all it takes for them to be demonic. I was born with these. You weren't. Patience." I trapped her ear lobe in between my teeth and delivered a tug. "Now it is time for us to take off. I have one more place I want to take you before we go to the hotel."

Those stunning gray eyes flickered toward me. "No more fights?"

It took me a moment to realize Quinn meant a physical fight like she'd witnessed tonight rather than a verbal one we'd shared. My expression softened. "No, pet… No more fights. I'll never bring you to one of these again if that's what you wish."

Drawing in a slow breath, she turned in my arms so that she could gaze up at me. "I don't mind them…just as long as you aren't in it. Just promise me that much."

I moved forward until I had her pressed up against the tile wall. "I swear it to you, Quinn Faxiss."

Quinn was content to gaze up at me for several long minutes in silence, simply just taking in my own expression. After a moment, those lips finally curled into a gentle smile. "Thank you." She rested her head against my chest.

Thank you.